Settlement of the area dates to the 1830s when Tarneit was used as agricultural grazing land. Tarneit was named when it was surveyed in 1839–1840 and comes from the Wathaurong word for the colour white. The road network was largely planned in a square mile grid pattern and still forms the basis of the arterial road network today. Large scale residential subdivision did not begin until the 1990s.
Land use
Tarneit has mostly been used as agricultural grazing land. However this landscape has been rapidly changing due to urban sprawl, especially in the southern part of Tarneit, including from nearby suburbs such as Hoppers Crossing and Werribee. Tarneit has a number of schools established within its boundaries, including Thomas Carr College, Baden Powell Prep.–Year 9 College and Tarneit Central College. The Islamic College of Melbourne, located at Wootten Road, had classes from Grade 1 to Grade 10 in 2016. There has been much residential growth occur in the Thomas Carr District, with other schools and shopping centres planned for construction. Stage one of Tarneit Central Shopping Centre, on the south east corner of Derrimut and Leakes Roads, began construction in mid 2016, and was opened in October 2017. It includes Coles and Aldi supermarkets, KMart, Harris Scarfe, and the Reject Shop. Wyndham Village Shopping Centre, in the suburb's south, was completed in 2005 to serve the population in the immediate area, especially in the residential developments of Tarneit Gardens, The Rise, Rose Grange and Seasons. Tarneit Town Centre, to be developed during the 2020s, is expected to be located in the area loosely bounded by Derrimut Road to the west, Leakes Road to the south, Skeleton Creek to the east and Dry Creek to the north. Tarneit and other neighbouring suburbs such as Truganina are expected to grow rapidly as access to land in the more established suburbs in the City of Wyndham suburbs diminishes.
Housing estates
The Tarneit area is now the site of several new housing estates, including Newgate, Habitat on Davis Creek Estate, Seasons Estate, The Heartlands, The Reflections Estate, Moorookyle, Tarneit Gardens, Rothwell, Ecoville, The Rise, Manhattan Place, Claremont Park, The Reserve, Rothwell Villages, Riverdale Village, Westbrook, Haven, NewHaven and Rose Grange. Mooted estates include Evadene, located within the Claremont Park estate.
Transport
Leakes Road has recently undergone redevelopment and is now sealed from Fitzgerald Road to the Leakes Road overpass just beyond Davis Road and provides a link from the industrial areas of Altona North and Laverton North to Tarneit and Hoppers Crossing. It is planned to ease traffic congestion on Sayers Road, which services Hoppers Crossing commuters travelling to and from the city. During peak hour the road often attracts high amounts of traffic. As part of the Regional Rail Link many roads were upgraded in Tarneit. Bridges were built over the railway line at Leakes Road, Davis Road, Tarneit Road and near Tarneit railway station itself at Derrimut Road. Doing this will enable a link between the existing estates and new housing developments on the other side of the railway line in the least populated locations such as Leakes Road and Davis Road, and provided a grade seperation for the commuters who already used roads such as Tarneit Road and Derrimut Road. In 2010, the Wyndham Bus Network was extensively upgraded and now caters for commuters from Tarneit. It was upgraded again in 2015 upon the opening of the Regional Rail Link. A new railway line opened in 2015, the Regional Rail Link, travels from West Werribee through Tarneit to Deer Park and includes the new railway station of. The new station, built near the north east corner of Derrimut and Leakes Roads, provides a much faster service than the current Werribee railway line, which must pass through Altona and Footscray. It has car parking with 1,000 spaces, ensuring Tarneit becomes a prime regional area for those who commute to the city on a regular basis. Regional Rail Link also connects the Melton and Werribee railway lines and re-direct GeelongV/Line trains from the Werribee Line. Regional Rail Link opened on 21 June 2015, with Tarneit railway station coming under metropolitan zone 2.
